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The Jewish Community of Gdansk

Gdansk

German: Danzig (the two names are often used interchangeably)

A major port city on the Baltic coast of Poland.

HISTORY

Gdansk is situated at the mouth of the Motlawa River, connected to the Leniwka, which is a branch in the delta of the Vistula River on the Baltic Sea. It is one of the oldest cities in Poland and an important industrial center. The city was originally part of the Piast state, but in 1308 it was conquered by the State of the Teutonic Order, which issued an edict of non-toleration prohibiting Jews from settling or remaining there. Under pressure from the Grand Duke of Lithuania, Witold, this restriction was eased during the first half of the 15th century, and a limited number of Jewish merchants from Lithuania and Volhynia were permitted to enter the city. As of 1440, there was a "Judengasse," ("Jewish Lane" or "Jewish Quarter") on the banks of the Motawa River.

After the Thirteen Years' War (1454-1466), Danzig was once again incorporated under Polish rule and it became Poland's wealthiest city and the central hub for trade in grain and other goods between Western and Eastern Europe. Jewish merchants from Poland and Lithuania came to Danzig to trade, and many were granted special privileges from the King of Poland; indeed, in 1476 the city council, on the encouragement of the king, allowed two Jewish merchants equal rights with other merchants. Nonetheless, because Danzig enjoyed a status of semi-autonomy, the city continued to refuse citizenship and trading rights to Jews, even though Jews had earned greater rights in the greater kingdom.

Jewish settlement of the city began after 1454, but opposition from Christian merchants forced the Jews to move in 1520 to the Schottland suburb, which was outside of the city's jurisdiction. After the intervention of King Sigismund in 1531, the city council withdrew the regulation prohibiting Jews from trading at the fair, but a resolution of the Sejmik (small parliament) of Prussia prohibited any further rights to be extended to the Jews. In retaliation, the Jews of Lithuania boycotted the Gdansk banking house in Kaunas (Kovno), which then had to be shut down, and ousted the merchants of Gdansk from the Lithuanian salt trade.

In 1577, after a rebellion in Gdansk against King Sephen Bathory, an agreement was reached between the city and the king that imposed further restrictions on the Jews in Gdansk. Jews were not allowed to hold religious services in Gdansk, nor were they allowed to live or stay in the city; later, in 1595, the city council allowed Jews to stay in the city during fair days only.

Around 1616, approximately 400 to 500 Jews were living in Gdansk, in addition to those settled in lands owned by the gentry or clergy. In 1620, the king finally permitted Jews to reside in Gdansk. He also allowed Jews to trade in grain and timber in the commercial sector and in Langengarten, which belonged to the port area. After these areas were incorporated into Gdansk in 1626, these rights were extended to the entire city.

The Polish-Swedish wars of the 17th century interrupted the trading activities of the Gdansk Jews and led to a general decline of the city, and of the Polish state. This led to an increased intolerance of the Jews, particularly those who were in competition with local artisans and merchants. Local ordinances increased restrictions on Jews, and levied special fees on any Jew who wished to stay in the city. Around the same time, during the mid-17th century, about 50 Jews became apostates and converted to Christianity; among them was Johann Salama, a teacher in the Gdansk seminary who subsequently proselytized to his former coreligionists.
During the 18th century, the main opposition to the Jews in Gdansk came from small traders and craftsmen. The Third Northern War, which strengthened the position of Catholicism in Gdansk, increased hostility towards the Jews, and they were forced to leave certain areas. However, a Chevra Kadisha and Bikkur Cholim were nonetheless founded in 1724 in the suburbs, in the old Jewish quarter in Schottland (Stary Schottland). In 1748 the Jews who had previously been expelled returned to Gdansk, though a regulation endorsed by the king in 1750 stated that they could return only temporarily. By 1765 there were about 1,098 Jews living in Gdansk and in the areas outside of the city proper; 504 were living in Schottland and Hoppenbruch, 230 in Langfuhr, and 364 in Weinberg.

The First partition of Poland in 1772 resulted in the city of Danzig remaining part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (ultimately until 1793), while the city's suburbs became Prussian. In 1773, 240 Jewish families (approximately 1,257 people) were granted legal status and became full Prussian citizens. This proved to be the start of a strong connection between the Jewish community of Danzig and Germany, which proved to last until the community was destroyed during the Nazi era.

The emancipation edict of 1812 further improved the legal status of Jews in Prussia, though there were still outbreaks of anti-Semitic violence against the Jewish community. Most infamous among these events were the Hep! Hep! Riots of September 1819 and August 1821, which saw outbreaks of violent anti-Semitism.

During the 1820s, 33 Jews were accepted into the merchants' guild, but by then the city had declined in importance. Jews were allowed to engage in crafts, and in 1823 a society was founded to promote crafts among the Jewish population.
A number of important Jewish publications were printed in Danzig during the 19th century (though it is important to note that some Hebrew printing was done in Gdansk during the 16th century in connection with Phillip Wolff's "Spiegel der Juden"). In 1843, the printing house of Rathke and Schroth published the Mishna with the commentary "Tif'eret Yisrael" by Rabbi Israel Lipschuetz, who was then the rabbi of Danzig. Also published were the works of Tzvi Hirsch Edelmann, including an edition of his Passover Haggadah, "Leil Shimmurim."

Another notable figure in Danzig was Rabbi Abraham Stein, a Reform rabbi who was the rabbi of Schottland from 1850 until 1864, after which he became a rabbi in the Mausel Synagogue of Prague.

The communities of Altschottland, Weinberg, Langfuhr, Danzig-Breitgasse, and Danzig-Mattenbuden were still independent by the end of the 19th century, each building their own synagogues and institutions, and electing their own officers. In 1878, the Altschottland began to initate a move towards unifying the Jews of Danzig. These efforts came to fruition in 1883, with the election of a unified Kehilla board (an elected Jewish communal governing body). The board worked to open the Great Synagogue, a unified synagogue, in 1887. At this time, most Danzig Jews embraced German nationalism and what they saw as its universalism and humanitarianism, while rejecting the political Zionism that saw Jews as a nation. During this period, Danzig Jews defined themselves as "Germans of the Mosaic persuasion."
The community of Gdansk had four synagogues, and a variety of other Jewish organizations. The "Jung-Juedischer Bund Danzig" ("Young Jewish Association of Danzig") was founded in 1920. A community newspaper, "Juedisches Wochenblatt," was published 1929-1938.

The Jewish population numbered 3,798 in 1816, 2,736 in 1880, 2,390 in 1910, and 4,678 in 1924. In 1920, when Gdansk was again declared a free city, its total population was approximately 356,000. Of the total population, there were 7,292 Jews living in the territory of the free city in 1923, and 9,230 in 1924, of whom 53.4% lived in Gdansk itself. Visitors came to the nearby town of Sopot, a popular summer and sea resort between the two World Wars for many Polish Jews. Danzig also attracted a number of Jewish emigrants from Soviet Russia. Additionally, a large number of Jewish emigrants passed through the port on their way to the United States, and received assistance from the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS).

Despite large Nazi gains in the elections of 1933 and 1935, civil and economic order was upheld by the president of the Senate, Hermann Rauschning, until 1937 when the rights of minorities provided for under the League of Nations lapsed. Albert Forster, the Nazi Gauleiter (leader of the regional branch of the Nazi party), incited a pogrom in October 1937 in which Jewish shops and homes were damaged. The Polish government offered the Jews no protection, and half of the Jews left Gdansk within the year.
The pogrom of Kristallnacht, which took place in Gdansk in December 1938, saw the windows of synagogues shattered, the houses and shops of Jews looted, and scores of Jews beaten and injured. Additionally, Forster began initiating repressive policies against the Jews, and the Nuremberg laws were introduced. In the aftermath, the Jewish community began to organize its emigration. By September 1939, only 1,200 Jews remained, many of whom were elderly. 395 Jews were deported during February and March 1941 to Warsaw, while the rest were sent in small groups to concentration camps. 22 Jewish partners in mixed marriages who remained in Gdansk survived the war.

After the city reverted to Polish control in 1945, a number of Jews resettled there. Few remained by the end of the 1960s.

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The Jewish Community of Gdansk

Gdansk

German: Danzig (the two names are often used interchangeably)

A major port city on the Baltic coast of Poland.

HISTORY

Gdansk is situated at the mouth of the Motlawa River, connected to the Leniwka, which is a branch in the delta of the Vistula River on the Baltic Sea. It is one of the oldest cities in Poland and an important industrial center. The city was originally part of the Piast state, but in 1308 it was conquered by the State of the Teutonic Order, which issued an edict of non-toleration prohibiting Jews from settling or remaining there. Under pressure from the Grand Duke of Lithuania, Witold, this restriction was eased during the first half of the 15th century, and a limited number of Jewish merchants from Lithuania and Volhynia were permitted to enter the city. As of 1440, there was a "Judengasse," ("Jewish Lane" or "Jewish Quarter") on the banks of the Motawa River.

After the Thirteen Years' War (1454-1466), Danzig was once again incorporated under Polish rule and it became Poland's wealthiest city and the central hub for trade in grain and other goods between Western and Eastern Europe. Jewish merchants from Poland and Lithuania came to Danzig to trade, and many were granted special privileges from the King of Poland; indeed, in 1476 the city council, on the encouragement of the king, allowed two Jewish merchants equal rights with other merchants. Nonetheless, because Danzig enjoyed a status of semi-autonomy, the city continued to refuse citizenship and trading rights to Jews, even though Jews had earned greater rights in the greater kingdom.

Jewish settlement of the city began after 1454, but opposition from Christian merchants forced the Jews to move in 1520 to the Schottland suburb, which was outside of the city's jurisdiction. After the intervention of King Sigismund in 1531, the city council withdrew the regulation prohibiting Jews from trading at the fair, but a resolution of the Sejmik (small parliament) of Prussia prohibited any further rights to be extended to the Jews. In retaliation, the Jews of Lithuania boycotted the Gdansk banking house in Kaunas (Kovno), which then had to be shut down, and ousted the merchants of Gdansk from the Lithuanian salt trade.

In 1577, after a rebellion in Gdansk against King Sephen Bathory, an agreement was reached between the city and the king that imposed further restrictions on the Jews in Gdansk. Jews were not allowed to hold religious services in Gdansk, nor were they allowed to live or stay in the city; later, in 1595, the city council allowed Jews to stay in the city during fair days only.

Around 1616, approximately 400 to 500 Jews were living in Gdansk, in addition to those settled in lands owned by the gentry or clergy. In 1620, the king finally permitted Jews to reside in Gdansk. He also allowed Jews to trade in grain and timber in the commercial sector and in Langengarten, which belonged to the port area. After these areas were incorporated into Gdansk in 1626, these rights were extended to the entire city.

The Polish-Swedish wars of the 17th century interrupted the trading activities of the Gdansk Jews and led to a general decline of the city, and of the Polish state. This led to an increased intolerance of the Jews, particularly those who were in competition with local artisans and merchants. Local ordinances increased restrictions on Jews, and levied special fees on any Jew who wished to stay in the city. Around the same time, during the mid-17th century, about 50 Jews became apostates and converted to Christianity; among them was Johann Salama, a teacher in the Gdansk seminary who subsequently proselytized to his former coreligionists.
During the 18th century, the main opposition to the Jews in Gdansk came from small traders and craftsmen. The Third Northern War, which strengthened the position of Catholicism in Gdansk, increased hostility towards the Jews, and they were forced to leave certain areas. However, a Chevra Kadisha and Bikkur Cholim were nonetheless founded in 1724 in the suburbs, in the old Jewish quarter in Schottland (Stary Schottland). In 1748 the Jews who had previously been expelled returned to Gdansk, though a regulation endorsed by the king in 1750 stated that they could return only temporarily. By 1765 there were about 1,098 Jews living in Gdansk and in the areas outside of the city proper; 504 were living in Schottland and Hoppenbruch, 230 in Langfuhr, and 364 in Weinberg.

The First partition of Poland in 1772 resulted in the city of Danzig remaining part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (ultimately until 1793), while the city's suburbs became Prussian. In 1773, 240 Jewish families (approximately 1,257 people) were granted legal status and became full Prussian citizens. This proved to be the start of a strong connection between the Jewish community of Danzig and Germany, which proved to last until the community was destroyed during the Nazi era.

The emancipation edict of 1812 further improved the legal status of Jews in Prussia, though there were still outbreaks of anti-Semitic violence against the Jewish community. Most infamous among these events were the Hep! Hep! Riots of September 1819 and August 1821, which saw outbreaks of violent anti-Semitism.

During the 1820s, 33 Jews were accepted into the merchants' guild, but by then the city had declined in importance. Jews were allowed to engage in crafts, and in 1823 a society was founded to promote crafts among the Jewish population.
A number of important Jewish publications were printed in Danzig during the 19th century (though it is important to note that some Hebrew printing was done in Gdansk during the 16th century in connection with Phillip Wolff's "Spiegel der Juden"). In 1843, the printing house of Rathke and Schroth published the Mishna with the commentary "Tif'eret Yisrael" by Rabbi Israel Lipschuetz, who was then the rabbi of Danzig. Also published were the works of Tzvi Hirsch Edelmann, including an edition of his Passover Haggadah, "Leil Shimmurim."

Another notable figure in Danzig was Rabbi Abraham Stein, a Reform rabbi who was the rabbi of Schottland from 1850 until 1864, after which he became a rabbi in the Mausel Synagogue of Prague.

The communities of Altschottland, Weinberg, Langfuhr, Danzig-Breitgasse, and Danzig-Mattenbuden were still independent by the end of the 19th century, each building their own synagogues and institutions, and electing their own officers. In 1878, the Altschottland began to initate a move towards unifying the Jews of Danzig. These efforts came to fruition in 1883, with the election of a unified Kehilla board (an elected Jewish communal governing body). The board worked to open the Great Synagogue, a unified synagogue, in 1887. At this time, most Danzig Jews embraced German nationalism and what they saw as its universalism and humanitarianism, while rejecting the political Zionism that saw Jews as a nation. During this period, Danzig Jews defined themselves as "Germans of the Mosaic persuasion."
The community of Gdansk had four synagogues, and a variety of other Jewish organizations. The "Jung-Juedischer Bund Danzig" ("Young Jewish Association of Danzig") was founded in 1920. A community newspaper, "Juedisches Wochenblatt," was published 1929-1938.

The Jewish population numbered 3,798 in 1816, 2,736 in 1880, 2,390 in 1910, and 4,678 in 1924. In 1920, when Gdansk was again declared a free city, its total population was approximately 356,000. Of the total population, there were 7,292 Jews living in the territory of the free city in 1923, and 9,230 in 1924, of whom 53.4% lived in Gdansk itself. Visitors came to the nearby town of Sopot, a popular summer and sea resort between the two World Wars for many Polish Jews. Danzig also attracted a number of Jewish emigrants from Soviet Russia. Additionally, a large number of Jewish emigrants passed through the port on their way to the United States, and received assistance from the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS).

Despite large Nazi gains in the elections of 1933 and 1935, civil and economic order was upheld by the president of the Senate, Hermann Rauschning, until 1937 when the rights of minorities provided for under the League of Nations lapsed. Albert Forster, the Nazi Gauleiter (leader of the regional branch of the Nazi party), incited a pogrom in October 1937 in which Jewish shops and homes were damaged. The Polish government offered the Jews no protection, and half of the Jews left Gdansk within the year.
The pogrom of Kristallnacht, which took place in Gdansk in December 1938, saw the windows of synagogues shattered, the houses and shops of Jews looted, and scores of Jews beaten and injured. Additionally, Forster began initiating repressive policies against the Jews, and the Nuremberg laws were introduced. In the aftermath, the Jewish community began to organize its emigration. By September 1939, only 1,200 Jews remained, many of whom were elderly. 395 Jews were deported during February and March 1941 to Warsaw, while the rest were sent in small groups to concentration camps. 22 Jewish partners in mixed marriages who remained in Gdansk survived the war.

After the city reverted to Polish control in 1945, a number of Jews resettled there. Few remained by the end of the 1960s.

Written by researchers of ANU Museum of the Jewish People